I hope they go into some depth with Voodoo Zombies, which have been neglected in literature and movies for a while.

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They don't go into too much depth but given that there are other traditions that are actually far closer to "modern" zombies, with the cannibalism and all, I think they give voodoo zombies enough air time. Modern zombies are mis-named. They should be called ghouls.

Also, there's no recognition of vampirism as a percursor to modern zombies. They're basically just vampires with different eating habits. There is some discussion of the medieval idea of the "revenant" though.

And I really wanted some mention of I Am Legend as being a precursor to modern zombies, since that's where I think the idea arose of zombies as being analogous to a plague. The ancient ghoul-type legends don't have that crucial aspect, which to me is a more modern idea. (And tracing things back further, Earth Abides should get credit as a precursor to I Am Legend, but that's probably getting too far afield.)

In Richard Matheson's I am Legend it was closer to a vampire plague than the modern depiction of a zombie plague. The Vincent Price The Last Man on Earth version of it ran more toward zombies while Heston's Omegaman version was back more towards vampires again.

Yeah Matheson had "vampire zombies" but the real noteworthy thing was the plague aspect - no vampire or zombie story that I know of before then had introduced that idea. Or even other related legends like golems and ghouls. The plague aspect is what makes it feel so modern in comparison with previous legends.

Though referred to as "the first modern vampire novel",[9] it is as a novel of social theme that I Am Legend made a lasting impression on the cinematic zombie genre, by way of director George A. Romero, who acknowledged its influence and that of its 1964 adaptation, The Last Man on Earth, upon his seminal film Night of the Living Dead (1968).[10][11][12] Discussing the creation of Night of the Living Dead, Romero remarked, "I had written a short story, which I basically had ripped off from a Richard Matheson novel called I Am Legend."[13] Moreover, film critics noted similarities between Night of the Living Dead (1968) and The Last Man on Earth (1964).[14][15]
...
10. ^ "House of Horrors Presents: The Night of the Living Dead"
11. ^ "Steve Biodrowski, Retrospective: Night of the Living Dead (1968)"
12. ^ Richard Matheson Interview, in Tom Weaver, Return of the B Science Fiction and Horror Movie Makers: The Mutant Melding of Two Volumes of Classic Interviews (Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland, 1999), p. 307, ISBN 0-7864-0755-7.
13. ^ "One for the Fire: The Legacy of Night of the Living Dead" — Night of the Living Dead DVD, 2008, Region 1, Dimension Home Entertainment
14. ^ "Thomas Scalzo, The Last Man on Earth (Film Review)"
15. ^ "Danel Griffin The Last Man on Earth (Film Review)"

I hope they go into some depth with Voodoo Zombies, which have been neglected in literature and movies for a while.

Click to expand...

They don't go into too much depth but given that there are other traditions that are actually far closer to "modern" zombies, with the cannibalism and all, I think they give voodoo zombies enough air time. Modern zombies are mis-named. They should be called ghouls.

Click to expand...

Yeah, I've seen that part. Interesting, since in World War Z they are referred to as Ghouls. Guy must have done his research. I still want more on Voodoo zombies, though.

Yeah Matheson had "vampire zombies" but the real noteworthy thing was the plague aspect - no vampire or zombie story that I know of before then had introduced that idea. Or even other related legends like golems and ghouls. The plague aspect is what makes it feel so modern in comparison with previous legends.

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Well, actually, I believe they did quote something analogous. If I'm remembering right, it was from the Epic of Gilgamesh and it talked about the dead rising up and outnumbering the living.

So ... Watching tonight's episode (10/30), Merle--whom I'm liking so much more than his brother and who seems much smarter--and Andrea go off in search of Sophia. They come across a zombie strung up. The person committed suicide after being bitten. The flesh on his legs, the only parts within reach, was eaten off.

Does this mean that zombies WILL eat other zombies? I'm assuming not, since they'd go after each other, I'd think. So he was eaten sometime after he hanged himself but before he zombied? That doesn't sound right on timing either. He was bitten and, upon hanging, died and zombied. That sounds like they ate a zombie. What am I missing?

I'm not watching the episode tonight (I imagine I'll do so tomorrow when I eat lunch, after I've gotten some stuff done for school), but there seems to generally be an "incubation" period of sorts after a person is bitten, dies, and becomes a zombie, so I'd guess that the guy you're referring to got bit, hanged himself, and then zombies got to him shortly thereafter - before his body had time to be reanimated as a zombie.

Think back to Jim at the end of season one. He was bitten during the zombie attack on the camp, but didn't die in that attack. However, we could see the effects that being bitten was having on him - intense fever, hallucinations, etc. Presumably he would've ultimately died from the virus, and then turned after death. I'm assuming something similar had happened to Jenner's wife, Candace / TS-19.

Oh, and you got the names of the brothers mixed up. Norman Reedus is portraying Daryl, while Michael Rooker was/is Merle.